The present invention relates to a tape printing device for printing characters on an elongated tape and laminating the print image surface with another tape. More particularly, the invention relates to such tape printing device provided with a tape cut position regulating arrangement in association with first character position and last character position on the tape.
Heretofore, a tape printing device is adapted to provide printed character image in an elongated label tape. That is, the label tape includes a tape like print medium or an elongated adhesive tape on which the printed character image is printed, and a transparent tape which covers the printed image surface of the adhesive tape. A conventional tape printing device generally includes a tape feed mechanism for feeding the tape-like print medium, and printing means for printing the tape-like print medium. The tape printing devices also includes an arrangement having a tape cutter for cutting off the tape-like print medium at a predetermined tape cutoff execution position. The tape-like print medium is cut off by severing a marginal leading end or trailing end portion of the printed area off from the elongate tape, thus producing a piece of printed label tape. The tape-like print medium is cut off before or after it is printed. Such arrangement is disclosed in a commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,278.
The tape cut-off execution position where the tape-like print medium is actually cut off is a fixed position spaced a certain distance from the printing means because of structural requirements for the tape cutter or the like. Therefore, it has been customary for the tape-like print medium to have cutoff and printed ends that are spaced a constant distance from each other at all times.
Since the distance between the cutoff and printed ends of the tape-like print medium is fixed, however, an end of a piece of label tape which is produced may have to be further cut off with scissors or the like, depending on the position or application in which the label tape is applied. Thus, top or bottom margin space has to be again adjusted with resect to the cut label tape, which may be troublesome and time consuming.